Prepaid Debit Cards for Teens

I remember when I was a teenager the thought never enter my mind because I was working for just a couple of dollars per hour. My Parents never gave me an allowance and I did not expect any thing from them. Sure once and a while they would give me a few bucks for the movies or school dance, basket ball or football game but only if they had the money. I know that was a long time ago and things have changed a lot. Now a days kids all have there own phones and most of them all get some kind of allowance. Most kids are on the net a lot and playing all sorts of games like PlayStation and Xbox to keep them busy.

My opinion is that we should allow them to have prepaid debit card instead of cash because you can manage the money you give them or they earn. Also you can see where all there money is being spent. Sure there are fees that come with this but its far better than them having a real credit card or a checking account. You would never have to worry if they lost their money and if they lose there card you get another one with a small fee. This will also let your teen know that you trust them and help them with their finances.

I have search the net and found that there are some Prepaid Debit Card Sites on that sell prepaid debit cards for teens. I will list some of these and also give you some ideas of how your teen can use their new prepaid debit card and also how you can keep track of the money that they are spending. If your the one giving the money to them its your right to know what they are doing with your money. No if they earned the money there selves you still have a right to know how they spend it.

How old does your teenager need to be to get a Prepaid Debit Card? That's really up to you and how mature you believe your teenager. Some teenagers could handle a Debit Card as early as 13 years old while other could not handle the responsibility even if they are 18 years old. You really have to know your teens and if you feel that he or she is ready then the thing to do is a test run. Get them a card and let them know that you are giving them this responsibility and if the handle it correctly they can keep their card and if they just can't handle it you will just have to take the card away from them.

When I think back to when I was a teenager I believe I was one of those kids who could have handled this a the age of thirteen. The reason I believe I could have done it is because I really like money back then and tried to save every penny I could. I even skip lunch several times a week to same the money my parents gave me. I would spend some of it on the weekends but most of it would end up in the bank. Most of the other teenagers I knew then would have used up their allowance as soon as they got it and they would been out of lunch money before they got any more money. I guess what I am getting at is you really need to know your teenager or get to know them. This is a very big responsibility and you need to make sure they are on the right track because this will affect them for the rest of their lives.

To me a good age to start is 15 years old on the average. It really depends on the teen and the stuff that you will allow them to spend the money on. Most teens at 15 years old are getting ready to drive, buy there own stuff and pretty much know what they want. Now all kids this age will be able to handle it, but kids are a lot more mature in this area than when I was a teen.

A prepaid debit card for a teenager is probably one of the best things you can get your teenager with out worrying if blow it. The reason is you can control it and if they do blow the worst thing that can happen is they spent all the money on the card. If they had a credit card they might reach the limit and this could be very bad if they have a high limit. If they have a checking account, its easy to write checks and get what you want even if you do not have the money. Go over you credit limit and you will see lots of fees and it might take you a good amount of time to pay it back. Bounce a few checks and you will pay some really high fees and also your kid could go to jail if you don't cover the checks.

I believe a prepaid debit card it the safest bet for most Parents and teens. You can put what ever you want in there for them and never worry if they spend all your money because they can only spend what you give them. Sure you will pay some fees but they are a lot smaller than credit cards, real bank debit cards and checks. You just have to set a weekly budget or monthly budget for your teen and in time both you and your teenager will feel good about what you are doing. Give it some time and if your teen does good you will have trust in them and they will learn how to be responsible. Having a credit card is a real privilege for your teen and make sure that they know it. You have to step in if they are abusing them and check their account every so often. If you have any suspensions please check it out. If they are good then trust and bond with you and your kids will be good.